Page 49 of Love & Betrayal

Sutton clenched her teeth. “If I’d known, I would have killed the motherfucker then. I suspect that Donovan was there, too?”

“Yup. He was rubbing elbows with the soon-to-be clients that wanted to rape and torture me, the famous prima ballerina. That’s his business. He makes it appear as though he owns a company as a financial advisor, but it’s all a front for how he earns his millions—off of me.”

Sutton tapped her ink pen on her thigh. “When you leave him, how would you feel about leaving with those millions to start a new life with Ashley and your parents?”

I chewed on my lip, pondering the idea. In one way, I wanted nothing to do with the funds that had come from my blood and tears. At the same time, money was just a thing, not a person. It wasn’t the money that was evil, Donovan was. Not to mention, I'd gone through hell to earn it. Why shouldn't I use it to make a better life for myself and maybe others?

“If you can pull that off, then without any hesitation, I’ll take every fucking penny that monster made off of selling me.”

An ornery grin slipped into place as Sutton winked at me. “Oh, I can make it happen. We’ll set it up and create a diversion while we get you all away. Trust me, the FBI will close in on him fast.”

Hope pulsed through me for the first time in my life. If anyone could help my family and me, I believed it would be Zayne, Vaughn, Pierce, and Sutton.

“I think prison would be too good for him.”

“Don’t worry about that at the moment. Let’s speak to your parents and get them on board. We don’t have a lot of time. Zayne said there are only four more days until Donovan returns, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we better start planning. Let me talk to the guys. When we have all the details figured out, I’ll let you know and you can reach out to your mother and father. They’ll want to keep Ashley home from school that day and be ready to run.”

“I understand. At least we can all go together. I miss my parents, and they need to know the truth about the sick son of a bitch they call a son.”

Sutton rose from the couch. “I’ll send Zayne and Vaughn in after I chat with them. Take a minute to catch your breath. Maybe go dance with Claire. Her studio is pretty amazing.”

I stood, setting my drink on the coffee table. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you all enough.”

Sutton pulled me in for a hug. “Thank us later, we have to get you out first.” She released me. “Just know that you have people who care about you. With the abuse you’ve endured for years, I can’t imagine you’ve felt close to many people. It’s hard when you’re keeping a secret from the world.”

I shook my head, sadness cloaking me. “I’ve never had real friends. Ballet is fiercely competitive and vicious on its own, even without the other hell I went through.”

“Good thing that you have us now. If my guess is correct, Claire is in the studio. Go down the hall and it’s the last door on the right.”

“Okay.”

I took a deep breath, my insides shaking with the possibility of escape as I watched Sutton walk outside. Before I realized it, I started walking in the direction Sutton had mentioned Claire might be.

I could process everything later. Right now, I needed to feel wood floors beneath my bare feet. A cold fear wrapped its fingers around my heart. Even though Sutton said Zayne was a good guy, it didn’t mean he was still interested in an intimate relationship with me. Dancing might be the only thing that I had left.

32

Zayne

Ipaced the length of the driveway, gravel crunching beneath my shoes as I raged. Hell, I was so angry I couldn’t fucking speak. Images of Giselle being raped and tortured flickered through my brain, tearing me to pieces.

“I saved her for what? I sent her straight into the arms of fucking evil people.” I laced my fingers behind my head, a pang of similar guilt ripping my soul to shreds. I never had forgiven myself for not getting to Chelsey in time. I’d reached Giselle but had marked her forehead with “Return to Sender” and pushed her straight back into the horror she’d tried so hard to escape. I also realized that what she’d shared with the group was most likely only the tip of the iceberg. Thank God for Sutton. She was definitely the right person for her to share with.

“I know you feel like shit, but you can’t fucking go there, Zayne,” Pierce said.

A strong urge to beat the hell out of someone rushed over me. “You weren’t there, dude. You were fucking schmoozing with her goddamn husband!”

Vaughn gripped my shoulder. “It’s not Pierce’s fault either. It comes with the territory.”

Pierce’s brown eyes flashed with concern. “I didn’t have a choice. A few days before the party, I mentioned to Brian that I had a meeting with Ander. After running a background check on him, there were some red flags. Brian said if I ever had an opportunity to work for Ander or Donovan, to take the job no matter what. The FBI needed someone on the inside. I just couldn’t say anything. It was my job to get into their world. Fuck, Sutton doesn’t even know.” Pierce’s shoulders sagged. “At the time. I had no idea what Giselle was going through, or that she was upstairs attempting suicide.”

“Are you shitting me?” I asked, seething that my friend hadn’t been honest with me. “You knew what was going on when you sent me in?”

Pierce held up his hands. “No. I didn’t. Brian didn’t give me any details, just that he needed someone on the inside to see if the FBI was on the right track. In no way did I think the situation would blow up like this. I sure as hell didn’t realize that Ander and Donovan were goddamn monsters.”

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